The Wales boss believes a man who has spent the summer being linked with a move elsewhere can now focus on proving a point at the Santiago Bernabeu

Ryan Giggs is backing Gareth Bale to make a positive contribution at Real Madrid now that a “strange” transfer saga has seemingly come to a close.

When the summer window opened, the chances of the 30-year-old forward seeing it out at the Santiago Bernabeu appeared to be slim.

Zinedine Zidane had lost faith in the Wales international and was prepared to move him on, with switches to the Premier League or Chinese Super League mooted.

No deal has been done, though, and Bale was back in the Real starting XI for a season opener against Celta Vigo – in which he teed up the breakthrough goal for Karim Benzema.

He is now set to stay put, with national team coach Giggs expecting a proven performer to put a testing period behind him and play an important role for the Blancos.

Giggs told reporters of a man who has spent six trophy-laden years in Spain: “I’m really pleased with the situation at the moment and looking forward to him meeting up.

“You can’t take anything for granted in football because it can change quite quickly.

“You can be on top of the world and then get an injury or miss a chance and then it turns. Or vice-versa. You can go through a bad time and then score a fluky goal and everything turns around.

“You have to work hard like I said about Gareth. When you do that usually good things happen.

“I kept in touch with him, not every day but just to see if he was all right. It’s obviously positive at the moment.

“He played at the weekend and did really well and it looks like he’s staying now. I’ve always said he’s at a fantastic club but probably a couple of weeks ago we wouldn’t have seen this situation.

“It was a strange situation but hopefully now it’s sorted out, Gareth stays and he plays games.”

Giggs added, with a resolution having been found in a long-running episode: “Everyone thought it didn’t quite look right but now it looks like they have sorted their differences out and he’s playing.”

Bale could figure in La Liga fixtures against Real Sociedad and Villarreal before domestic competition shuts down and he heads off with Wales on Euro 2020 qualification duty.

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The former Saints star was among the goals during his latest visit to St Mary’s, with Jurgen Klopp’s side edging their way to a 2-1 win

Sadio Mane has said “sorry” for helping to lead Liverpool past Southampton, but the former Saints star makes no apologies for having done what is required of him.

The Senegal international broke the deadlock on his latest return to St Mary’s .

His effort on the stroke of half-time paved the way for Liverpool to grind out what became a nervy 2-1 win.

Mane left the south coast for Merseyside back in 2016, but still holds fond memories of his time with Southampton.

He is eager to point out that he was merely doing his job when downing Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, with his full focus now locked on Liverpool and the pursuit of precious Premier League points.

Mane told BBC Sport : “I’m sorry it is against my old team and sorry I have to score but I’m wearing a Liverpool shirt now.

“Southampton was a very good step for me, I have big respect for this club.

“It is an amazing place. I learned a lot here and they are very nice people. But it is part of football and you have to deal with it.”

Roberto Firmino added to Mane’s effort to put Liverpool in control against the Saints, but they were left hanging on towards the end.

“What a game, it was not an easy game but you have to expect a tough game like this at this stage of the season,” said Mane.

“After playing 120 minutes on Wednesday [in the UEFA Super Cup] it was not easy and we know it would be difficult. It was not easy and it took us a little bit of time to get going.

“But we got the three points and I think we deserved it. Once we scored the first goal it was easier for us.”

An error from back-up goalkeeper Adrian made life difficult for Liverpool, as he crashed a clearance into former Reds striker Danny Ings and saw the ball end up in the back of the net.

Southampton pushed hard for a leveller in the final seven minutes, but Klopp’s visitors hung on to head home with the spoils and back-to-back victories to open the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.

Mane added on the late drama: “I was nervous because it wasn’t over. We had another 10 minutes to go.

“It was tough for us and of course we expect that here. it can happen, it is part of football.”

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The Brazil international, who has moved to Germany with a view to a permanent switch, concedes his time at Camp Nou was something of a disappointment

Philippe Coutinho accepts his time at Barcelona “didn’t work out” the way he had hoped after he completed a loan move to Bayern Munich on Monday.

Coutinho joined Barca from Liverpool in January 2018 in a deal potentially worth a reported €160 million (£147m/$178m) and things began promisingly, as he scored eight goals in his first 18 La Liga games.

However, he struggled for consistency and failed to hold down a spot in the starting XI last season, playing only 22 matches from the beginning.

Coutinho became a scapegoat for fans and came in for increased criticism – as did coach Ernesto Valverde and team-mate Ivan Rakitic – after Barca’s Champions League semi-final exit to Liverpool, despite them winning the first leg 3-0.

The Brazil international had been suggested as a potential makeweight in a deal to take Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain back to Camp Nou, but Bayern secured his loan signing with a €120m (£110m/$133m) purchase option.

Coutinho acknowledges things could have gone better in La Liga but insists he is excited to be joining the German champions.

“Concerning Barcelona, things didn’t work out the way we wanted,” Coutinho told reporters at his Bayern presentation.

“But that’s the past. This is a new club, a big club, an important club. I hope I’ll be here for a long time and win lots of titles.”

Despite the difficulties Coutinho had at Barca, he is adamant it was not all a negative experience – though he had no doubts about leaving for Bayern.

“Within those years I did have great experiences,” he said. “I learnt a lot, won a lot with that club and then we had the Copa America, which I won with Brazil and that was really important.

“Now I have a chance at a new club, a big club. I didn’t have any doubts when Hasan [Salihamidzic, Bayern sporting director] called me.

“He really wanted me to come here, so they flew to Barcelona, we met, they showed me the project and that’s why I really want to thank them, because from the first second [it was clear] how they see me. That was important for me to see.”

Coutinho could make his debut away to Schalke on Saturday.

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The Spanish champions were optimistic that a deal could be struck, but ultimately the Brazilian will remain in France

Neymar is set to remain a Paris Saint-Germain player for the 2019-20 season, Goal can confirm, as talks between the French champions and Barcelona failed to reach a conclusion that suited both parties, ending a transfer saga that has dragged on all summer long.

PSG originally refused to enter talks with the Catalan side due to a breakdown in relations between the two clubs. But with Neymar effectively downing tools to force through a move, the Parisians relaxed their stance in a bid to offload the wantaway star.

There was growing optimism on Barca’s end that a deal could be struck before the end of the summer window, having cleared Philippe Coutinho’s wages off their books in order to avoid falling foul of financial fair play regulations.

Face to face talks between the clubs’ hierarchies followed, with several names being offered up by the Blaugrana as makeweights in proposed part-swap deals. PSG’s insistence that Nelson Semedo be included initially stalled progress as Barca did not want to part ways with the full-back.

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Ivan Rakitic’s name also came up, and the Croat being dropped from Ernesto Valverde’s recent starting XIs suggested he could be on his way. Ultimately, however, it was Ousmane Dembele’s refusal to move to Paris that scuppered Neymar’s Camp Nou return.

The man signed as the Brazilian’s replacement in 2017 has had something of a rough time of it in Barcelona, suffering from persistent injury problems and having his attitude and lifestyle called into question on multiple occasions.

And while a fresh start in his native France might have seemed a good idea from the outside, the 22-year-old has flat-out refused to move, with money seemingly not a factor as Dembele plots a long career with the Liga champions.

Neymar, meanwhile, has informed a selection of his PSG team-mates that he will be lining up alongside them once more upon the completion of his international duties with Brazil – the Selecao take on Colombia and Peru in friendlies on September 7 and 11.

Back in Paris, Thomas Tuchel’s outfit will be looking forward to reintegrating Neymar into their side and continue their solid start to the Ligue 1 campaign when they play host to Strasbourg on September 14.

A former Gunners defender has singled out the Switzerland international for criticism after his erratic performance against Tottenham

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka “may be on borrowed time” at the Emirates Stadium following his display in the North London Derby on Sunday, according to Martin Keown.

The Gunners were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Spurs, which saw them slip five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after four matches of the new season.

The home side got off to the worst possible start when Christian Eriksen tapped into an empty net after ten minutes, with a moment of madness from Xhaka compounding their misery half and hour later.

The 26-year-old lunged in on Tottenham’s Son Heung-min in the penalty area, completely missing the ball and giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot.

Harry Kane dispatched the resulting penalty to double the visitors’ advantage, before Arsenal staged a compelling fightback.

Alexandre Lacazette pulled a goal back just before half time and the Gunners took control of the game thereafter, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang eventually finding an equaliser in the 71st minute.

Unai Emery’s side had to be content with a point in the end, but Keown has highlighted Xhaka’s performance as a real cause for concern.

The former Arsenal centre-back questioned the Swiss star’s tackling ability in his latest column for the Daily Mail, stating: “Granit Xhaka is so bad at tackling that Arsene Wenger once admitted he had told the £35 million midfielder not to bother anymore.

“I would encourage him not to tackle, to stay on his feet,’ Wenger said, and what we witnessed against Tottenham was classic Xhaka.

“He gifted the visitors their spot-kick by sliding in on Son Heung-min, right under referee Martin Atkinson’s nose. Did he really think that would end well? Then his constant fouling interrupted Arsenal’s flow.

“The hosts lost momentum because he kept breaking up play. This is what Xhaka does. He is like a fire engine that turns up and discovers the house has already burned down – he’s that late!

“He does more damage than good when it comes to tackling, so no wonder Wenger told him to stop trying. I suspect Xhaka may be on borrowed time in this team. He could soon find himself behind others in the pecking order.”

Keown insists Emery has a big decision to make when it comes to Xhaka’s future, but he also reserved praise for Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos. 

He felt all three men stood out against Spurs and that Arsenal have plenty of “firepower”, albeit without a strong defensive set up to match.

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“Matteo Guendouzi put in possibly the best performance I’ve seen from him in an Arsenal shirt,” Keown added.

“Lucas Torreira has to be a starter for me, and Dani Ceballos is looking good. Emery will have to look at the pros and cons and decide whether it is even worth persisting with Xhaka.

“Overall, this was a great game for the neutral. It was like basketball. You attack, we attack. But Emery has work to do. Arsenal looked lethal up front, but vulnerable at the back. Emery will want to balance that out.”

The Belgium boss has suggested that the 26-year-old had grown weary of life at Old Trafford and says he can thrive in Italy

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez says that Romelu Lukaku needed to leave Manchester United because he had grown bored at Old Trafford.

Lukaku departed the Red Devils in a deal worth €80 million (£74m/$90m), joining up at Serie A side Inter, where he made an immediate mark for Antonio Conte’s side as he scored the third goal in a crushing 4-0 win over Lecce to kick off their league campaign on Monday.

Martinez was delighted to see the 26-year-old leave for pastures new and believes that it will do him good.

“Romelu needed a new challenge. Sometimes you get bored of a club,” the Spaniard told VTM in comments reported by 7sur7. “Working with Conte will please him and the project of Inter, who will chase the title, is interesting. I saw Lukaku laugh again and it made me happy.”

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Meanwhile, Martinez is eyeing up his Belgium squad before Euro 2020 qualifiers against San Marino and Scotland.

Despite Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen being frozen out of things at club level, he pledged to call upon the 32-year-old.

“Jan’s been our most consistent player for the last three years,” he said. “We’re going to help him get in shape for the matches. He’s not become a poor footballer over the course of the last two months.”

Martinez also praised Vincent Kompany, who has been relieved of matchday coaching duties at Anderlecht just four games into the season following a catastrophic run of form that sees them with just two points.

“He’s already done a fantastic job,” Martinez enthused. “Once Nany Dimata or Kemar Roofe is fit and they have a true attacker, I’m sure that things will get better with regards their result. I’ve a lot of respect for the fact that Kompany has taken the young players by the hand and will play at a high level. His return has been courageous.”

Belgium are currently placed No.1 on the FIFA Ranking, despite finishing third at the 2018 World Cup, where they lost out in a semi-final against eventual champions France. They are well on course for Euro 2020 qualification, having won all four of their matches in Group I to date. 

El Tri will take on the Caribbean rivals at Estadio Nemesio Diez as part of preparations for the Concacaf Nations League

Mexico’s Concacaf Nations League preparations are coming together.

El Tri will face Trinidad and Tobago in an Oct. 2 friendly match at Toluca’s Estadio Nemesio Diez, the FMF announced Wednesday.

The game is part of a doubleheader, with home team Toluca hosting Veracruz in a Copa MX game before the national team contest kicks off at 9:06 p.m.

With the match falling outside the FIFA dates, this game is the latest hint that manager Tata Martino will utilize the Nations League as a sandbox for young players yet to break into the top Mexico team. In August, he convened a mini-camp with players like U-20 World Cup veteran Jose Juan Macias and Veracruz goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado.

The Nations League will be used as qualification for the Gold Cup, but Mexico need only to finish above either group rival to lock up its place in the marquee Concacaf tournament, which it won this summer. El Tri’s Nations League campaign kicks off in Bermuda before they return home to take on Panama. In the November window, they do the reverse, visiting Panama before hosting Bermuda.

The winner of the group, in addition to qualifying for the Gold Cup, moves into a four-team tournament set for June to determine the champion of the inaugural Nations League.

Mexico friendly games actually taking place in Mexico are somewhat rare thanks to a partnership with Soccer United Marketing to play a certain number of games in the United States each year. This will be the first friendly to take place in Mexico in 2019, with a pair of games in October 2018 the last time El Tri was in action in its home country.

The last time the national team played in Toluca was an October 13, 2015 friendly match against Panama, days after El Tri topped the U.S. in the Concacaf Cup.

So far this year, Mexico is undefeated, with Martino yet to oversee a loss since taking over the team in January. That record will be on the line in the September window, with a nearly full-strength squad called by Martino to take on the United States on Friday and Argentina on Sept. 10.

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5th Sep 2019

After cementing herself as a permanent fixture in the fashion industry some years ago, Australian model and actor Maddison Brown moved to Los Angeles to make her mark in the film and television industry. 

Now, the prominent 22-year old, who has made star turns in Strangerland opposite Nicole Kidman, and The CW hit series Dynasty, is returning home to accompany Vogue Australia editor-in chief Edwina McCann as a special guest at the 10th anniversary of Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out in Sydney on September 5. 

“I just think it’s such a great event,” said Brown, who has joined the Vogue team at VAEFNO in the past. “I’m so excited and honoured to be coming home for it and the opportunity to come home and be part of an event that I’ve been a fan of years. It’s really, really exciting.”

The model and actor, who has been working with Vogue since she was just 16 years old, confessed that she plans on making the most of the exclusive offers available to shop on the day, but that the pieces that she plans on purchasing must meet her criteria first. 

“I’ve got my eye on a few different pieces,” she shared. Adding: “The way I approach shopping, first and foremost, is sustainability, and secondly, I look for investment pieces. I don’t want to be turning over my wardrobe every three months.”

Touching on her sense of style, Brown told Vogue that while she has been labeled as a “fashionable tomboy” in the past, her “style is pretty simple day-to-day.”

“I love clothes that are comfortable and feel good and also look good,” said the model. “I’ll have a simple outfit but I’ll dress it up with a necklace or some earrings, or a nice handbag or shoes. I love accessories,” she added.

At just 22, Brown has hit a number of milestones that are nothing short of noteworthy. Citing her first fashion show, work with Vogue, and her relationship with Miu Miu as a few of the highlights of her career thus far, the star added that her starring role in Strangerland was one that certainly put her on the map. 

“It was so lovely, such a positive, wonderful experience,” Brown told Vogue of her time on the set of the film, which just so happened to be her very first. “[Nicole Kidman] is incredibly talented and she’s a wonderful person,” she added. “She’s very, very warm.”

While Brown shares that it took her some time to learn how to deal with the rejection that comes with auditioning for new roles, she maintains that although she’s “definitely more focused on film” than fashion for the time being, she doesn’t plan on choosing between the two.

“I feel very passionate about fashion still and it’s something that I want to be a part of,” she shared. 

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5th Sep 2019

Having already added actress, humanitarian, duchess and even magazine editor to her extremely well-read resumé, when Meghan Markle returns to work after a period of maternity leave, the royal can also add fashion designer to the list.

As reported by People, the duchess is due to resume royal duties next Thursday September 12. The Duchess of Sussex’s first order of business following the birth of how now-four-month-old son, Archie Harrison, is one that’s particularly close to her heart: launching the capsule collection of women’s workwear she created with her fashion designer friend, Misha Nonoo.

In addition to being present for the launch, The Sun reports that the duchess will deliver a short speech to mark the launch, before sitting down to watch a panel discussion around the collection.

Having already given us a sneak peek at the soon-to-be-released range via a behind-the-scenes video—which features Markle in a look reminiscent of her pre-royal days—the collection will aim to build a wardrobe of work-appropriate attire for women aided by the charity Smart Works, one of the duchess’s more notable patronages.

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Major British retailers are already on board to stock the charitable collaboration and for every item that is purchased from the collection by a customer, an identical one will be donated to support “long-term unemployed and vulnerable women regain the skills, confidence and tools to succeed at job interviews, return to employment and transform their lives”.

According to The Sun, this limited-edition collection—which was created in collaboration with British brands including Marks and Spencer (M&S), Jigsaw, John Lewis & Partners, as well as pal Nonoo—will include a shirt, trousers, a blazer, a dress and a bag, with the publication reporting that charitable customers and royalists alike will be able to shop it for “at least two weeks” after the Thursday September 12 launch date.

Also marking his return to work following a summer break, Prince Harry recently travelled to the Netherlands to announce his newly-launched, eco-conscious travel initiative Travalyst. Partnering with corporate travel heavyweights—including TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Visa, Ctrip, and Skyscanner—the initiative will aim to make travel more environmentally friendly, low impact and beneficial to local communities visited.

“Travel has the unparalleled power to open people’s minds to different cultures, new experiences, and to have a profound appreciation for what our world has to offer,” he said in a statement. “As tourism inevitably grows, it is critically important to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices worldwide; and to balance this growth with the needs of the environment and the local population.”

Although the year is almost up, it looks like it’s going to be a rather busy—and extra charitable—end of year for the Sussexes.

Work by Betty Chimney and Raylene Walatinna

The Sydney Contemporary art fair is once again giving collectors, industry professionals and the art-loving public incredible access to cutting-edge creative work, from both famous and emerging artists, all under one giant roof.

For the 2019 event, 98 galleries exhibiting more than 450 artists from 34 countries will take part, converging on Carriageworks in Redfern from the 12th until the 15th of September. Naturally, there will be traditional exhibitions of painting and sculpture, but there will also be designated spaces for video art, performance pieces, as well as panel discussions and workshops. A number of Sydney’s favourite restaurants and drink retailers will have stalls at the event — including Handpicked Wines and Taittinger Champagne — as dynamic modern art and delicious cuisine go hand-in-hand.

Below, director of programming for Sydney Contemporary, Samantha Watson Wood, lists some of the exhibitions and events she is looking forward to.

‘Afternoon sequence #3’ by André Hemer.

Andre Hemer
These acrylic and pigment works act like gelato, rainbow and magic. I am constantly distracted by his work at the fair and want all of them. Showing with Yavuz Gallery.

Body Container Comes to Life in Hong Kong 2013 (knitted shredded maps) by Movana Chen.

Movana Chen
This year Hong Kong-based artist, Movana Chen, was selected to be our international artist in residence in collaboration with Artspace, Wooloomooloo. During her stay she will get to know the local land through use of old maps. Her studio will become a performance space as she shreds and then knits the old maps, creating a cocoon-like costume to be worn at the fair. Movana’s work has been seen across Asia and Europe and this is the first time she has been to Australia. She is showing at Flowers Gallery.

Betty Chimney and Raylene Walatinna (mother-daughter collaboration) for APY Land Gallery.

APY Land Gallery
The APY Art Centre Collective is a group of 10 Indigenous owned and governed enterprises. APY Gallery shows contemporary work coming from these centres. For me, this is one of the most interesting new additions to the fair. I think the work from this region is some of the most exciting work being made in the world. We are lucky enough to welcome three of these artists – Vicki Cullinan, Illuwanti Ken and Sally Scales – who will speak on a panel as part of Talk Contemporary to look at artists using language and their visual voice to address inequity, inappropriate representation, and place the artists’ worldview at the centre of the conversation.

Marcus Whale in collaboration with Athena Thebus, image by Andrew Haining.

Performance Contemporary
This program is one of my favourite parts of the fair to work on. Unlike many art fairs around the world, Sydney Contemporary has a rich and diverse performance program that provides a platform for experimental and challenging non-commercial work. We collaborate with the amazing Performance Space to curate this program. This year expect to see the incredible Marcus Whale (in collaboration with Athena Thebus) rise to the heights of Carriageworks’ ceiling while singing his performance Lucifer, Chun Yin Rainbow Chan sings a Weitou lullaby through a veil of 144 smoked latex flowers, and Leila El Rayes and Harry Pickering tie strangers together with silk rope and gifts to incite human connection.

‘Did you ask the river’ by Joan Ross.

Joan Ross Virtual Reality
Earlier this year, ACMI Melbourne commissioned Joan Ross to create a virtual reality experience. Her resulting work, Did you ask the river, is coming to the fair. Joan is an incredibly clever artist and a dear friend of mine, and when I entered this all-immersive Joan-Ross world I cried. Joan is showing with Micheal Reid Gallery.

‘Bitter Roseroot’ by Julia Robinson.

Julia Robinson
Julia Robinson is a South Australian artist making sculpture and installations. Her soft pastel forms work with themes of rituals, fertility and the cycle of the seasons drawing on a multitude of sources including myths, fairy tales, European superstition, folklore and our connection to life, death and sex. All completely wonderful and sensual things. She is showing with Hugo Michel Gallery.

‘Gravity’ by Amos Gebhardt.

Amos Gebhardt
These silvery, haunting images of horses celebrate the drama of powerful thoroughbreds performing their courting ritual. Amos will also be giving a talk about his work, which will examine ideas of screen language, queer orientations, inter-species dependence and alternative ontologies as a way to pluralise the experience of being. Showing with Tolarno.

Jess Johnson’s design for Alpha60 T-shirt Printing Press.

Alpha60 T-shirt Printing Press
This year we have partnered with Alpha60, who are producing limited-edition t-shirts in collaboration with leading artists Jess Johnston, Jason Phu and Darren Sylvester. The T-shirts will be screen-printed live at the fair by printing masters from Ailse Six.

‘Snoopy Enredado y Preocupado, Altar de Matas y Protestas’ by Nadia Hernández.

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Nadia Hernandez
Nadia makes beautiful coloured hanging fabric works, each one taking its title from a poem written by her grandfather in 1997. These poems were inspired by the devastation the Amazon and exploitation of the environment. Her works search for a new language to describe these delicate situations that plague her home country of Venezuela. She will be exhibiting with Black Arts Projects.

‘The Making of Mississippi Grind’ by Jacqueline Fraser.

Jacqueline Fraser
We are lucky enough to have Jacqueline as part of our installation program this year. Jacqueline is a contemporary New Zealand artist of Ngāi Tahu descent who has been making immersive installations since the 1970s. Her work for the Fair is a cornucopia of popular cultural references, looking at celebrity, wealth, politics, rap culture and high-fashion integrating pink and gold tinsel walls and a chandelier into the architecture. Jaqueline shows with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.

‘Winners are Grinners’ by Alex Seton.

Alex Seton
Alex is a contemporary marble sculptor who has carved a giant skull – called Winners are Grinners – which will sit on a huge marble plinth at the entrance to the fair. Alex is represented by Sullivan And Strumpf.

Book designer and artist Evi O.

Evi O

Evi O is an award-winning book designer and self-taught artist who will be doing a solo presentation of graphic abstract work with Saint Cloche. They are putting on a talk “Colour is my Superpower” on Thursday 12 September which will look to artists, fashion  designers and stylists to explore their obsession with colour.

Visit: sydneycontemporary.com.au